RO tax inspectors begin scrutinising grey online retail market

Romania's tax collection body (ANAF) has launched operation "Mercury," the largest-scale action yet to verify undeclared revenues from untaxed e-commerce, News.ro reported.

Online sales through reputable platforms have sky-rocketed but the trade with counterfeit goods or operated by shell companies also intensified, ANAF said.

The goods thus traded are either counterfeit or sold by shell companies, through individuals or screen sites, which operate for short periods, ANAF explained.

ANAF's operation targets those who use companies that import goods from within the European Union countries and liquidate those firms shortly after passing the customs, then sell the goods through "grey" online platforms or marketplaces to dodge taxes.

ANAF has screened the courier deliveries for customers generating large amounts of orders to define a risk group that will be investigated.

ANAF warned all legal and natural persons involved in such activities that inspections would follow.

The tax agency invited the targeted entities to declare all the revenues related to such operations and pay the taxes, in case they forgot.

In related news, tax experts warn companies that more inspections are expected after the lockdown period.

The deductibility of expenses and VAT related to services remains the focus of the tax inspectors, said Ruxandra Tarlescu, PwC Tax Partner. She also notes the intensification of the inspections in the transfer pricing area.

A delicate issue in tax audits has recently been the use of gift vouchers whose tax treatment has created discord between taxpayers and tax inspectors. For this reason, 60% of the companies responding in a PwC poll indicated that they intend to stop giving gift vouchers, the trend being noticed especially in companies in the pharmaceutical, construction, real estate, and IT industries.

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